The Twisted Tale of Nix
by revenge-is-sweet-98
Summary: Six and Nine certainly aren't the best of friends. They start out loathing each other, but somehow, their lives are intertwined and they keep crossing paths. They progress into a love-hate relationship, but eventually, which one will grow stronger- love or hate? A love story of Nix because they're awesome. Please read and review!:)
1. Chapter 1

**Nix**

**Hey guys! I'm not sure if you've read my fics here before (The Strike Of Seven, Live or Die, Here we Come, I Ship Who?) but anyway here I am. I kind of decided to stop writing live or die, here we come because a) couldn't think of what to write b)I think most of u either forgot about it or lost interest in it, which I'm actually okay with (cos even I knew it was getting boring) **

**BUT I want to write a new story, which is about...NIX! I know the original is obviously headed towards Six and Sam, while Nine is probably going to remain a fancy bachelor or sth, but I still want to write this because I have some ideas that I think can make a story. This has nothing to do with what's currently going on, it's on Lorien and blah; more like a Wattpad story only on people we do know here!:) everyone else (eg John, Ella) is going to be here too ofc, but main ship is the story of their love-hate relationship.**

**So I'm just writing this first for you guys to provide feedback and vote for stuff I can't decide, like an order slip or something (yea..) here are some options:**

**1. Did the war ever exist? (If yes, this will be either during or after; if during then my whole story will change- so please specify if yes)**

**A- yes **

**B- no**

**2. How should they meet? (It starts as a college thing)**

**A- both of them are first years in college and stuff just happens**

**B- Six is a Freshman, Nine is a Sophomore, he gives her a hard time (I know Six is older but go along with it)**

**C- introduced through mutual friends (Marina, John) and are forced to meet each other because of these mutual friends**

**3. At one point Six has to move in with Nine (spoiler- whether temporary or permanent undecided). How should this happen?**

**A- Nine invites her to move in**

**B- They are forced to move together due to unforeseen circumstances**

**C- Six is kicked out of her home by her parents (conflict) and has to find a place**

**D- Her roommate leaves and Six has to find a place**

**4. Who should become immediate friends?**

**A- John and Sam (roommates)**

**B- John and Nine (roommates or childhood friends; specify)**

**C- Marina and Six (roommates or childhood friends; specify)**

**D- One and Adam**

**E- John, Nine and Eight**

**F- Others**

**5. How should I bring Ella into the story?**

**A- Marina's sister**

**B- Nine's sister**

**C- An orphan kid (crazy I know)**

**D- Make her the same age as them**

**6. What stereotypes should they have? (Eg urban rebel, jock,normals)**

**7. Should One, Two and Three be in this story?**

**A- Yes**

**B- No**

**8. How long do you want each chapter to be?**

**A- 500 words**

**B- 1500 words**

**C- 3000 words**

**9. Any suggested sub-pairings? (Eg Navrina, John and Sarah)**

**10. Any other suggestions?**

**Woah this list is overwhelming! You can just answer this like MCQ (eg 1A, 2B) and give your honest opinion. If this idea already sucks then just tell me, my heart won't break;)**

**If response to this is lukewarm/dead I'll delete this post and continue with my other fics (Nine/Ella one-shot coming out soon in I Ship Who?) but this is just a vague idea anyway :)**

**Hope you guys like it! Please review and suggest, I'll appreciate the feedback and start this story soon! Sorry for bothering all of you, thanks for reading+helping!**

**-revenge;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

**Hey guys! This took shorter than I thought. The words just came out so easily, and although I know this isn't the best chapter I wrote, it's not bad for a beginning so I hope you like it!**

**Thanks so much for your reviews! I was so encouraged by your support and suggestions, and it helped a lot. Along with voting from my friends and siblings, I managed to get enough info on what to do. Here's some details I'll share:**

**John and Nine, Six and Marina are childhood friends**

**Each chapter is 1500-3000 words**

**I'm going to switch between calling Six Maren and Nine Stanley, because Six and Nine are much easier to write. (Same for Five and Eight etc) But legally they're Maren and Stanley.**

**One is going to be Six's older sister. Crazy right? But that's how I'm linking her in.**

**Other relevant details I'll reveal as we go guys can vote on which question to 'unlock' from the 'Order Form' (the 10 questions I asked previously),and the question with the most votes I'll answer next chapter.**

**I actually had a much longer chapter, but this one hit nearly 2000 words already, so I'm splitting it. Hope this chapter isn't boring or disappointing. Read and enjoy!**

**Prologue**

Nine POV

Six and Nine. Nine and Six.

The two of us seriously have this up- down relationship. Sometimes, she's so annoying. Yells at me, get angry over the smallest things, and pisses me off so bad. Those times, I absolutely loathe her.

But sometimes, I love her.

I love how she throws her head back laughing like a little kid, how she gets excited over the smallest things that happen, how bright her eyes become when we kiss.

Sometimes I just don't know how I feel about her.

Six POV

I close my eyes. Deep breaths, in and out.

Why does he always do this to me? He can make me laugh like I never had before, he can make my life so beautiful and magical, he can make me feel so special like I'm the only one that matters to him.

But just as easily as he heals my heart, he can break it, making what's left of me shatter into pieces, making me feel so broken, wondering how different my life would be without him.

Sometimes I don't know if I want him gone, or be by my side for ever and ever.

_Make up, break up, total waste of time, can we please make up our minds, and stop acting like we're fine... (Best Mistake by Ariana Grande)_

XXX

Nine POV

"Got everything in?" My uncle Sandor asks me.

"Yeah, I think so." I lean back on my three large luggages, two carry-on baggages and my knapsack. I'm headed to Lorien College, where I can finally get my freedom. Football, hot girls, great parties, what else could I ask for?

"You're lucky you got in with that football scholarship. Otherwise I don't know what you're going to do. Be an engineer like me I guess." Sandor laughs.

"Shut up." I elbow him. Sandor is my legal guardian (my grandfather lives far away in the countryside) and he started out as an engineer, but now he works as a manager in one of Lorien's chemical plants; hence his wealth. As for me, I'm just a bum I guess. I don't care shit about college or studying, but a degree is what you need around here I guess. It's true that I chose chemical engineering as my major (partly because it was one of the easiest to get into, partly because I can get help from Sandor), my main thing is football, not books, and I'm going to become a football player after I graduate. I just know it.

"I guess you're ready. I'll miss you." Sandor gives me a small hug which I awkwardly return. We aren't great on this mushy feeling thing, but he and I know that we have each other's backs. It's more of a bro thing, and I like that.

"I'm only a few hour's away, it's not like I'm never seeing you again. And I need to visit regularly to make sure you don't torture any of your girlfriends." We both laugh at that one. Sandor having numerous girlfriends before dumping them (or they stomping off screaming or crying) has long been a standing joke. I don't know when he'll settle down, I really don't. "Anyway, got to go. John's waiting for me." I wave at Sandor as I jump into my car, and drive off to fetch my long-time buddy. Goodbye, home and Hello, college!

Six POV

"Where do you think you're going, huh?"

"College, Arun. I've told you so many times." I grunt to my dad as I carry my two luggages in my hand, not looking back.

"There's not point in you going anyway. The course you're taking is so minor and easy, and there's no way you can get a good government job when you graduate." Lynn, my mum, blocks my way, crossing her shoulders over her chest.

"Lynn. I took human literature because I want to know about the arts of what people do on Earth, what they write, their characters, thoughts and feelings. It may seem like a useless subject to you, but literature is my passion, and I want to become a writer when I grow up." I stamp my foot, aware of how childish that is but not caring at the same time. I've always had a tense relationship with my parents, and the fact that they are displeased just because I don't strive for a government job just makes me want to scream.

"Stop calling us by our first names." Arun says.

"You're not fit to be my parents, and I've been calling you this for as long as I can remember, so I'm not going to change right now."

"You're such a disappointment child. Why didn't you study medicine and become a doctor like your sister? She's saving so many lives and finding ways to cure diseases, while you study something that has nothing to do with Lorien, and want to tell stories that does not help our people whatsoever." Arun my dad spits.

"Just goes to show how much dumber and more stubborn you are compared to your sister. Just as well you go to college, at least we'll see less of your sulky face." Lynn says.

"I chose human literature because I want to, not because I'm some goody two shoes and suck up like One! And you know what, I'm GLAD I'm going, GLAD I'm never going to see you guys again, who never ever support me and always see something wrong in everything I do! I HATE you guys and I never want to see you again!" Yelling as I do everyday, I drag my luggage into my car as Lynn screams "Good riddance!" I blink my tears away as I drive off. I don't bother to look back.

XXX

"-and then he has the guts to tell me that I'm stupid compared to my sister because I choose to take literature, which is a pretty tough subject in the first place!" I clutch the steering wheel even tighter and grit my teeth in anger as I recount the recent argument I had with my parents before, which has happened too many times.

"Chill, Maren. I know it can be pretty frustrating to deal with your parents, but at least try to be civil to them. From what I hear, you were also quite rude." Marina, my best friend, places her hand on my shoulder. I'm driving both of us to Lorien College, and after two hours of driving, I'm still fuming about the incident.

"Marina, you see what goes on in my house. You know how my parents treat me like crap. I really can't stand them, and I'm not sorry i am rude to them. Civil isn't a word they know." I snap.

"Oh well." Marina's eyes lighten up as Lorien College comes into view. It's a large campus, with many buildings of different faculties, and many outdoor facilities, such as a football field, basketball court and swimming pool. There are many small shops nearby. Marina and I have already toured the place before, and I know I'll like it here. "At least it'll be better here."

"Yeah, I hope-" I'm cut off as a flashy red convertible cuts in front of us. It's so sudden and swift that I slam on my breaks. The rear of the car slams against the front of my dusty grey car. "What the-" I'm too shocked to react as I realise, to my dismay, that the front of my car is scratched. To my surprise, the car ahead doesn't even bother to stop. It continues speeding ahead.

"What the f**k!" Anger takes over my shock as I collect myself. "Hey you! Stop!" I shout as I blare the car horn repeatedly. Marina tries to stop me but I shake her off angrily. By now, just about the whole campus is alerted. All the students are staring at us. This forces the car ahead of us to stop.

I jump out of the car and stride over to that flashy convertible. Just because the car is larger and posher doesn't mean it can cut in front of me and wreck my car like that!

The hood of the car is up and the driver is a large muscular guy, his long black hair tied back in a ponytail, sunglasses perched on the top of his head. Beside him is a tall guy with blonde hair, looking somewhat nervous. If I wasn't so angry, I would have thought that they were pretty cute, but whatever. "What do you want." Says the driver in a bored tone.

Fucking bastard. How dare he pretends nothing has happened. "What do you mean, what happened?" I yell. "You wrecked my car!"

Fucking Bastard raises his eyebrows. "Excuse me? It's just a few scratches."

"A few scratches?" I repeat, growing angrier by the moment. The cheek! "Do you know how much I have to pay to get that fixed?"

"Forty dollars? Not much, stop overreacting." The dude yawns. "Anything else? I really need to go."

"NO you're not going anywhere!" I stomp in front of the car and cross my arms. "Maybe to you rich asshole it's not much, but for me I actually need to work to earn that money! I want that compensation!"

"Oh I'm sorry you're so poor you can't afford it." Fucking Bastard now gets out of the car and stands in front of me. Wow, he's really tall. Scary, but I'm scarier. "Now can you fucking get out of my way?"

"Fuck you, fucking bastard!" I scream. "You don't have the right to slam your car into mine and cut my queue, scratching my car and acting like that's okay!" I'm aware that I'm acting like some psycho, but this cocky guy really makes me fly off the handle, and I'm really pissed that he's not even sorry and even thinks he is right when he's totally not.

"For one thing, I did NOT scratch your car. For another thing, YOU were in MY way." Fucking Bastard is finally losing his cool. A larger crowd gathers, pointing and whispering about us. A few people behind complain that we're blocking their way. I ignore them.

"How dare you treat everyone like they're beneath you." I hiss.

"Excuse me? Car courtesy. Haven't you heard of that?" He smirks.

I feel heat rising up to my cheeks. Argh, I feel like punching him! I've never felt so angry in my life, not even at my parents. I step forward and the guy smirks once again, his eyes simply begging me to attack him.

As if reading our minds, the blonde guy and Marina run forward. "Maren! Let's go, they aren't worth it. Don't start your year by fighting with this loser." Marina clutches my arm and whispers. I glare at her and shake her off furiously.

"I'm so sorry, my friend can be annoying sometimes. Let me pay you back." The blonde guy says.

"She doesn't deserve shit!" Fucking Bastard yells.

"I don't want your apology. I want his." I point at Fucking Bastard pointedly, but he simply laughs and gets back into his car. "Whatever, little girl. You're not even in my priority list of Hot Stuff, so bye." I can't help but yell in rage as he steps on the peddle, Marina pulls me away just in time as he drives away, laughing like he doesn't give a fuck about how angry he made me feel.

"Maren, just forget it. He looks like a cocky senior, you're probably never seeing him again, okay? Don't let this ruin your year. Let's check out our dorm, okay?" Marina pulls at my arm.

I sigh heavily and get into the car. "Yeah, sorry. I'm so done with that guy." With that, I drive us to the dorms, still enraged by how unfair the situation is, and how despicable that guy is. I don't even know his name, but I already hate Fucking Bastard.

**Haha sorry for the profanities! There will be lots of it from the two of them, so be prepared;) u should listen to Best Mistake by Ariana Grande (what i quoted in the prologue), I'm not a fan of her but the song's really nice. do you like Six's new nickname for Nine? They really do hate each other from the start don't they.**

**Sorry that this chapter isn't that funny, but it's just solid ground from how everything started, and well, the plot truly starts next chapter I guess! **

**A few questions for you guys to help me:**

**How should I bring Adam, Two and Three into the story?**

**What names should I give One, Two and Three?**

**How should I bring Katarina and Henri into the story (not their parents)**

**What courses should they take? (I'm pretty far from college- is it called college or university btw- so I don't know specifics)**

**Any other suggestions?**

**Thanks for reading! Please review:)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

**Thanks for those who reviewed my first chapter! It was great to know that people were interested in reading this.  
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**My next chapter was actually much more interesting, but guess what, it was 4600 words!:0 so I split it up into three chapters (the last chapter I'll add in more scenes though) so this chapter is much shorter than the next one because it just fits the scene. I'm really sorry that this chapter isn't about Nix since I split it up- it's about Nine's creepy roommate Cody/Five! So have fun reading it and cringe at Five's weirdness. Enjoy!**

**Nine POV**

"You shouldn't have done that." John scolds me as we drag our luggage to the reception. He's still ragging at me on the incident with that girl, and it's getting annoying.

"Um, she was in my way, and anyway she was so rude and refused to get out of my way. She was the one yelling and disrupting the whole campus anyway." I reply, rolling my eyes. Really, of all annoying girls, this one really stands out. In a bad way. "Gosh, I hope the chicks here aren't like that. How can I snag one without feeling like puking all the time?"

John jabs me in the arm. "Stop thinking about girls. Anyway, you really should have compensated her. You did scratch her car you know."

"Whatever, grandfather. Hopefully I won't see her again." I put down my luggage when we reach the large reception hall. Thanks to that screaming girl, we're very late, this close to closing of registration. The large hall is empty, apart from a bored-looking student who is probably a volunteer.

"Stanley Worthington and John Smith." I tell him. I know that we aren't sharing dorms; they split us into faculties. Like me, John's on a football scholarship (though obviously I'm way better), but unlike me, he actually wants to study and get a degree and a job. That's why he chose biomedical science, to study the genetics of us Loric and find ways to improve our biodiversity or something like that (I honestly cannot understand half of what he raves about, even at my rare fullest attention).

The grouchy volunteer scans through his list. "John Smith and Sam Goode, building Phoenix Stone, room 201" "Stanley Worthington and Cody, building Loralite, room 417"

"Cody what?" Of course that's my first question.

"It doesn't say so here." The guy glares at me. "Are you done here?"

I sigh. I was still hoping that Johnny and I would be roommates. We've been best friends since young, and it would have been cool to share a room with him, even though he's a wuss and quite annoying and naggy at times.

"At least we're near each other." John comforts me, scanning through the map of the college the volunteer gave us.

"Yeah." I grunt and collect my card key. "Let's go."

XXX

I enter a tall translucent blue building. There are many students wandering around, most likely Freshman like me, talking excitedly and comparing dorm numbers. To my disappointment, there aren't many girls around, and most of them I see look pretty studious, like they've never been to a party before. I guess I'm here to liven things up.

I'm still a bit surprised that I, the cool and popular guy, ended up in Faculty of Engineering, of all places, but hey, it could be worse, right? Anyway, hopefully not EVERYONE here is nerdy.

I find my way to my dorm room, fix the card key in and open the door. To my surprise, my roommate is already there.

He is short and stocky, buff but also pretty chubby. As round as a barrel is what John would say. He looks pretty shy and quiet, like he'll just keep to himself, though I'm not sure. I'm not great at judging people based on their outward appearance.

Right now, though, my roommate IS acting weird. I don't know if he noticed that I have entered, or probably didn't care, and he's staring into the screen of his laptop, mumbling under his breath and twiddling his fingers. I notice that he's decorated his side of the room (which he conveniently took without waiting to discuss with me) with a map of Lorien pinned up on the wall, with stickers of action figures around it. Weird.

"Umm." I clear my throat and the weirdo finally looks up. "I'm Stanley Worthington, your roommate."

"Okay?" The guy stares at me, then goes back to babbling to himself.

I stare. "No hello, or my name's Cody?" I ask.

The guy scowls at me, clearly annoyed at being disturbed. "Hello. And you somehow know my name already, so that's that."

I sigh deeply. This guy really needs to have a life, and I'm here to teach him. "What's your last name?"

"Don't have one. I'm just Cody." The boy says firmly.

"Just Cody." I repeat. "Come on, you must have a last name."

"I don't, or at least I don't acknowledge it." Just Cody says roughly.

"What is it? Something long and embarrassing like Cody Abacadabra or Cody Pinazazaza?" I joke.

"Just stop asking me questions, okay?" Cody reddens. Oops. Maybe I do go too far.

"Okay..what are you studying?" I ask.

Cody slams down his laptop. "Mechanical Engineering, okay? Can you quit being arrogant and annoying and just leave me alone?"

"I'm just making conversation!" I spread my hands out in mock surprise. I pissed him off without even knowing it. That's got to be a record. "What are you doing that you're so obsessed with anyway?" With my super speed, I grab his laptop.

"Hey! Give that back!" Five yells.

"What's the secret?" I open the laptop, and see, to my confusion, a bunch of voodoo dolls in a circle around a tea table, their heads hung in a noose. "Uh..what the hell is this?"

"It's none of your business, nosey Parker!" Cody snarls. Before I can grasp what is going on, a rubber arm lunges towards me to grab the laptop, the other turns metal and punches me in the face.

"What the-" my nose is bleeding. "Is that your legacy? It's cool. Though highly unnecessary in this case."

Cody snarls. I swear he's going to kill me. For no damn reason apart from what is going on in his loony mind.

I race up the ceiling with my anti- gravity legacy. To my surprise, Cody flies, and I have to use my super strength to jump him. Using my animal legacy, I get a random Chimera to come and peck him; not too hard, but hard enough to knock some sense into him.

"Let me go!" Cody shouts. "You're good, but can you stop acting so weird and let us get along together?" I ask loudly, trying my best to continue pinning him to the floor.

"No! You nosey, annoying, cocky dumb jock!" Cody shouts. We wrestle and pummel each other, our shouts becoming louder and louder. Our door flings open and I see the administrator of our building frowning at us, with several gawking students behind her.

Uh oh.

**Hope this scene was good! Five and Nine really do hate each other, another conflict arising! You can suggest some weird stuff I can make Five do, I may use it if it's creepy enough;)**

**also, I want some help on flirty jokes and insults for Nine and Six, cos I'm pretty bad at that. I will probably keep asking this every chapter until I collate enough, so you may as well suggest now:)**

**next chapter should come soon since I'm actually done with, just need editing. So please review, help me with creepy Five habits and Nix speech, and have a good day! Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay this chapter is much longer. And I felt lazy so I used the name Nine quite a lot here. I made up quite a lot of stuff here, especially the many activities offered, hope it sounds cool enough, cos this is the kind of school I'll want to go to! (But never will:()**

Chapter 3

Six POV

"Just forget about him, okay? He's just an asshole and we'll never see him again." Marina soothes me as we walk into Xitharis Building, room 701 for the students in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Marina's taking psychology, an arts subject. Her mother Adelina appealed for us to be roommates, and to our delight, the appeal worked. Much as I don't show my feelings much, I'm excited and relieved that we're rooming together. We're best friends, and after what happened today, I really don't think I can cope being with another bratty student.

"Yeah, I guess. Still, that guy is such a Fucking Bastard. I've never met anyone the likes of him. He annoys me so much, and I've only met him for two minutes!" Complaints of the guy stops as I swing open our dorm door. The room is simply decorated, with two single beds, two small desks and a large cupboard. Xitharis Stones line the mirror and bright Loralite stones shine all over the ceiling. Although small and simple, I can already tell that I'll like this place.

We fling our luggage down and flop onto our beds, not bothering to unpack. "So," Marina says. "After dinner, there's an open house for activity fairs (after school activities or clubs). They're quite important in our school."

"Sounds cool." I smile. Apart from that car scene, I'm sure that the rest of the day will be awesome.

Nine POV

"You didn't have to do that to the poor guy, you know." John tells me as we walk to the ground floor of the Main Building for orientation. "You only just met him, he's going to be your roommate for four years, and you've already given him a black eye and a broken rib."

"Did I?" I laugh scornfully. "Asshole. He was such a weirdo, and so rude to me. I tried to make conversation and be friendly. Scout's honour."

"From what I heard, you were basically annoying and insulting him." John's roommate, Sam pipes up. I glare at him. John and Sam, unlike me and my best roommate, hit it off immediately, in spite of (or maybe because of) the guy being a total nerd. Sam is a Cepan, studying physics with a minor in astrology because he says "the universe intrigues me". Yawn. I guess nerd and trillion the nerd does go together.

Also, my fight with Cody has spread across the campus like wildfire. Two Freshman bashing each other on the first day of moving in (when college hasn't even started yet)? Awesome! Hot guy beats Fat boy? Even more awesome! Without even opening my mouth, I'm already attracting chicks because as one said to me 'I need a guy that can protect me. And be hot.' And also guys and teachers, though it's more of the 'I need to fight this guy so I can prove myself' or 'this guy spells trouble. Maybe I can place him in detention soon' vibe. That part's not so good.

Trailing behind me are a bunch of dudes that I've befriended. I can't remember all their names, but there's Riley, Tom, Connor and Joseph (Eight). For now, the only one I know I'll definitely stay friends with is Joseph, who's smily, friendly and nice, though with a playful and mischievous side to him as well. He can teleport, shape-shift, have visions and walk on water. Definitely a friend I want to have.

Thankfully, I've let off with only a warning. The admin of our building just gave us a lecture on how we're not little kids anymore and that we should keep our voices low because seniors are studying or people are sleeping, and they may fail their exams or suffer from insomnia because of our racket. Since we're roommates and are more or less stuck with each other for the rest of our college life, we may as well suck it up and be best buddies (I snorted aloud when he used that phrase). Whatever it is, I know that I seriously can't stand Cody. Just the sight of him makes me want to tease or slap him. So for now, he's trying to keep out of my way, and that's how I like it.

"Anyway, why are we talking about that douchebag?" I say loudly. "We've just moved in. Let's be wild and enjoy this orientation!"

So we do.

Six POV

I groan aloud when I see Fucking Bastard, his blonde friend and a few other guys whom I'm guessing are his new entourage (two hours and he's made friends already. Awesome.) Despite how physically large and intimidating he is, the guy's a Freshman like me. Which means that we just might bump into each other a lot.

Perfect.

Frowning, I point that out to Marina, who looks sympathetically at me. "I had no idea... I guess his mentality is of a younger person..."

I laugh aloud. "Good one. That's true." I can't help groaning again though. "Why, Elders of Lorien, all kings of the sky and sea and Garde and Cepans, WHY."

Marina stares at me. "You must be REALLY desperate."

"I just really hate that guy." I mutter.

Marina slips her arm around me. "Hey, there's 1000 other Freshman here, okay? He'll be covered by them all, and chances are we won't see much of him anyway. Look at him. Can he even read?"

I chuckle. "Probably not. Just some jock who's here to boast and deal with 'chicks'. You're right. Let's enjoy the orientation."

XXX

The entire program is remarkable. The gymnasium is decorated with booths and props, trophies showcased to boast their achievements, seniors all eager to promote their activity and convince us to join them. We see our fellow Freshmans for the first time, some looking scared and nervous, some immediately confident and chatting, some whispering in girly cliques, some trying to flirt with the seniors, to their amusement. Being the antisocial person i am, I decide to stick by Marina for now- at least we have each other. The seniors are extremely friendly, offering us free food samples, "Lorien College" shirts and merchandise and leading us in school cheers to get into the school spirit. They patiently answer our questions about the college and tell us stories about college life. All in all, it's a pretty cool experience.

There's cooking (we got to taste some Lorien delicacies added with their invented 'secret ingredients' and instantly everyone, including us, were hooked), Loriennet (Lorien's Internet) club, nerdy stuff like science and math club, art (the art gallery showed intricate Loric mosaic, weaving, painting and sketches- Marina liked that), joker club (where they make corny jokes and laugh to themselves), manga club, military (very fierce marching and yelling), engineering, architecture and technical sciences, performing arts (the choir, dances and music performances were amazing), fashion designing, debate and drama, analytical and strategic club (those that want to become advisors or generals for our Lorien soldiers next time)revolutionary club (where they rebel and complain I guess, just plain weird) and more. Pf course, there's the 'most popular' clubs- cheerleading and football, that is super hard to get in and only the fittest, best-looking and most sociable can qualify. Apparently there are 100 clubs and societies, half of them student-initiated.

The outdoor courts, where the sports are promoted, are even more fascinating. The hockey girls are in the middle of the gym playing a match, while those interested try a shot. There's ping-pong (for those with quick reflexes), swimming (the Loric there are playing water polo and searching for Loralite stones as bonus points; Marina, who has the legacy of breathing underwater, tries and wins the match), track (a really tough one, since all Garde have super speed and some advanced super speed like Marina- though they're not allowed to use it. The Cepans and Garde have separate races to make things fair), volleyball, badminton, cricket, softball, netball, basketball (I'm interested), fencing, mountain climbing (rock climbing, except with real rocks and at Lorien's highest mountains), wrestling for guys and girls, canoeing (we may join that just to have fun getting lost) and 60 other sports activities. There's mini-outdoor activities like navigation and survival skills, camping, hiking and extreme sports (bungee jumping, sky diving). Marina and I can't help but marvel at all these activities and how cool they all seem. Just walking around the booths take two hours. There's even Lorien-specialized activities like Chimera riding, one to one dueling (with legacies for Garde vs Garde without legacies when dueling with a Cepan), in-the-dark hunting (Marina can join since she has the legacy of night vision-yes she's powerful despite her gentleness), Hunger Games style trekking and fighting (though no one dies, just surrenders or is knocked out) and chariot racing.

We see a crowd gathering at a certain section, whopping and clapping. Pushing past a bunch of people, we get to the front and instantly I want to turn back. It's a game of jousting (another Lorien specialty) and Fucking Bastard is screwing up the other dude real bad.

He uses his long silver staff (clearly his family is rich because it is studded with real silver that glints in the sun, and the staff is long and slick, unlike the staffs we used in PE which were short, rusty and broke easily) to push the other guy back, and flicks it around with so much ease. The guy huffs, his face white, but continues to fight.

"Do you give up?" Nine asks.

"Never!" the other guy stands his ground. Nine flashes a grin that has girls swooning. "Suit yourself."

The guy charges towards Nine, his red staff in front of him. I watch as Nine twirls his staff for a counter attack, whirls around with (from what I noticed) advanced super speed and jams the tip of his staff hard into the guys's gut. He extends his pipe staff and twirls it menacingly over his head. The staff might only be a 'stick', but the way he uses it makes it seem deadly. The crowd goes wild as he ducks and weaves away, parrying some of the blows with his staff, his long black hair flailing behind him, pushing and fighting the other guy. Their staffs clank loudly and clearly amidst the noise. Nine is clearly a natural at jousting and looks like he's truly enjoying himself, although humiliating the guy must be a plus. I have to admit, Nine is a natural. I scowl to myself for thinking that, and pull at Marina's sleeve but she doesn't want to go.

I look at her questioningly (don't tell me she fell for him?) when I see her gazing at a tall, dark-skinned curly haired boy, who sees her staring and smiles back. He walks towards us and Marina stiffens, but in a 'oh my gosh he's coming towards me yay why am I freaking out' way. Something she never does.

"He's good, isn't he?" The guy says happily. At least he looks nice and friendly enough. Marina just grins stupidly at him, and I mentally roll my eyes. "Yeah, he's good." I say reluctantly, to save Marina from being embarrassed.

The guy nods as we watch Nine literally running circles around his rival, tripping him over and over again. It's clear that he could have won long ago, he just wants to toy with him and continue to show off.

"Are you a freshman?"the guy asks.

"Yes." Marina finally finds her tongue. "I'm Marina, and that is Maren."

"Marina. That's a nice name." The guy smiles, and Marina nearly faints. I have to nudge her to stop acting like that. "I'm Joseph. Well, I got to go. Are you going for the campfire next week?" As part of our orientation, after one week of our lessons, we have a tour around the entire college and then have a campfire, with some activities, games and cheers.

We nod and Joseph grins. "Great. See you guys then." He waves and walks off, leaving Marina to stare stupidly after him. "Mar." I pinch her.

"Ow!" Marina glares at me, then looks dreamy. "He came all the way here just to talk to us."

"Um, he was five feet away."

"Still, a guy TALKED TO ME. And he said he liked my name." Marina's officially crazy.

"Er- if you say so. Anyway, can we go-"

Just then, I here even louder cheering, if that's even possible. Reluctantly(?), I watch silently and refuse to cheer as Nine swings the staff and the guy goes crashing to the floor.

Nine has him pinned to the floor, crying out for mercy. "Give up?" He roars.

"Yes...yes, just stop!" The other guys wails like a wimp. Nine has won. Grinning, Nine steps off him and help him up as the crowd cheers. His rookies cheer and slap him on the back while girls totter about in their high heels, asking him for his number.

"Good match dude." The guy, though still a bit sulky, pats him on the back. "You should join jousting."

"Nah, already in football." I knew it! The way Fucking Bastard threw that statement out so casually shows that he's nothing but a show off. However, the girls now practically drool over him.

"But I really like this game. I guess I can be a part- time member?" He continues, ever the charmer. "Sure! See you there!The guy beams widely and shakes his hand, then runs off.

"Marina, seeing him being worshipped makes me want to barf." I'm angry that again, a sonofabitch gets idolized despite how mean and a bully he can be. Reluctantly, Marina follows me as we circle the booths again, staying silent while I sieve.

After a while of silence, she asks. "So what activity are you going to join?"

"I can't decide what to choose." I mumble.

"Me neither." Marina agrees. "I guess we can just keep signing up and quitting, or sign up for the one we like most and just join a few short courses they will offer along the way. I'm thinking swimming, art or cooking." Marina has read every single brochure they gave us (inclining mine, although they were exactly the same 'Just to make sure I don't miss out any details'), researched Loriennet and even read the thickest book ever on "The history of Lorien College".

"I'm thinking drama and debate, since I like to argue and exaggerate, but most likely sports like basketball, mountain climbing, dueling and-oh!" That last part was when I saw a sign: Basketball tryouts taking place now. "Marina, this is my chance! I got to try!" I shout excitedly, pulling her by the hand. Marina good-naturedly allows me to drag her to the basketball court, knowing how competitive I can be.

XXX

The basketball court is noisy, with the sound of basketballs dribbling and thudding against the paved floor. A large group of girls, like me, are determined to get through. A coach is sitting on the sidelines, clipboard in hand, taking down comments about us. Since there isn't time for an actual game, we are allowed to do whatever we want on the court for fifteen minutes, be it shooting, attacking or defending, as long as we do enough to impress the coach. At the end of our fifteen minutes, the coach will call those that get through to attend a basketball session and play an actual game to see our capabilities.

I focus on the net, dribbling the ball steadily, before bending my knees and shooting the ball. The ball whooshes into the hoop easily, just like I knew it would. Marina, who is at the sidelines, claps and cheers me on. "Way to go, Maren! You can definitely get in!"

Grinning, I watch as a girl dribbles the ball past me, ready to shoot. I dive forward and quickly intercept the ball, swiftly shooting it into the hoop again. The girl glares at me, but I just grin back. I will get in. I just know it.

I rebound the ball from a goal another girl missed, using my favourite one- leg style (I played netball before- I used that method to shoot quite a lot) when suddenly the ball is taken from my hands.

I drop my arms and turn around, stunned. That's not the rules! No one simply takes the ball out of your hands, no one except...

Fucking Bastard.

"You're good, but not good enough." He says, smirking. How the hell did he get here? And better yet, what is he doing at a girl's basketball tryout?

"Give me back the ball." I say between my gritted teeth.

"Come and get it." He teases, holding the ball high up, and laughs while I jump and try to snatch the ball away. I can hear the other girls stop to take a look at us; most ogle at him, while a few smirk at me. Marina isn't there because she went to buy drinks, the coach simply doesn't care that a guy has intruded, she's just here to scout potential players. I know what a fool I'm making of myself, but I can't help it. I'm so angry with this idiot, and I want to continue with my tryouts.

"Give. It. Back!" I hiss, the 5"5 me trying to grab the ball from a 6"2 guy, who has only raised it higher like I'm a pre schooler instead of someone who's the same age as him, only shorter.

"Nope." He back hands it and throws it to a girl, who giggles and catches it. Of course, she ignores me and throws it back to Fucking Bastard.

"See, this is how you do it." Fucking Bastard dribbles neatly and swiftly, dodging and switching course abruptly whenever I try to intercept it. "Stop it, Fucking Bastard! I really need it!"

"Ooh, now you're name calling." Fucking Bastard says playfully. "I'm Stanley, just so you know, which you would have known soon anyway because I'm that popular. What are you, Angry Badass Chick?"

"WHAT?!" I do punch him this time, but my punch simply bounces off his chest, he's that buff. And now my knuckles hurt. "First of all, Stanley is a horribly horrible name, and I'll be rolling on the floor with laughter if I'm not in this situation now. Second of all, my name is Maren, not that ridiculous stupid nickname. Third of all, GIVE ME BACK THE BALL!"

Using telekinesis, I snatch the ball away, taking Fucking Bastard aback (I REFUSE to call him by his name, because Fucking Bastard he is, looks and shall be), ignoring the fact that legacies are not allowed in the game. Better be penalized than not be scored at all. I continue with my basketball moves, but I hear footsteps behind me and I know that Fucking Bastard has gained on me. I try to act quick and suave, but he intercepts the ball again.

"I thought you were trying out for the basketball squad? You let me intercept the ball twice. What kind of player are you?" He taunts, dribbling the ball such that it becomes a blur.

"Hey you! Stop messing around with your boyfriend or you're off the courts!" The coach yells at me all of a sudden. I stare open-mothed, stunned, while Fucking Bastard's friends at the sidelines snigger. I notice that Marina has returned, she looks furious but Joseph is holding her back, probably fearing that she'll rile his obnoxious friend further such that we kill each other.

"You hear that ABC? We're a couple." Fucking Bastard winks at me. Before I can react, he lifts me up and twirls me around. I feel a sort of fluttery feeling in my stomach; I think I had a tummy upset. He then puts me down and kisses me on the cheek, then uses one hand to shoot the ball.

The ball soars in the air and swishes smoothly through the hoop, as the coach blows her whistle. Time's up. I'm out.

"And that's how you play basketball, ABC." Fucking Bastard whispers in my ear as he saunters off, leaving me to stand dejectedly under the hoop, as the ball comes crashing down.

**dont you feel like punching Nine? And now Six's got a nickname too. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Six POV

"Stop thinking about him, Maren. It isn't worth it." Marina tells me for the millionth time. We're lying on our bed (we connected the single beds to make a queen-sized bed), the lights switched off, as I ranted about Stanley.

His actions today left me stunned, humiliated and angry. I was trying to get into the basketball squad, yet he barged in and ruined it for me. There's no way I can qualify for the team, not after how he beat me so bad and how the coach singled me out to scold me. Needless to say, I didn't receive word from the coach,

and I know that I didn't get in. And it's all his fault.

"He ruined my basketball potential!" I say, staring up at the dim Lumen lights and glow-in-the-dark stones on our ceiling. "Showing off was one thing, humiliating me for no damn reason is another! What did he do that for? What does he have against me?" I shout at the ceiling.

"He's an asshole. Just ignore him." Marina pleads futilely. She hates arguments and knows how I get when I feel a strong emotion.

"Playing me off like that! And that kiss," I say, feeling heat rise up to my cheeks for some reason. "What the hell did he do that for?" That question has been in my mind ever since he left the basketball court, with the other girls gaping at me. Afterwards, they swarmed around me, asking how a kiss from the hottest guy around was. Like please. As if he's hot, and it was a kiss on the cheek just to humiliate me, why can't they see that? The way the coach looked at me made me feel so embarrassed and inferior.

"He's a player, and he's trouble. Guys like him go around kissing girls to win them over, though it didn't worn on you I hope?" Marina says, rolling to the side to face me.

My ears burn. "I DO NOT like him! I hate him so much. Just the thought of him makes me sick!" I punch my pillow so hard that the natural fibers (from Lorien's version of cotton plants) fly out.

"I'll get a new pillow tomorrow." Marina says quietly. She stays silent for awhile as I finally let the tears come. The first day of school, and already I've been embarrassed like that! Everyone is going to laugh and look down on me for the rest of the year. I know it sounds immature, but I wanted college to be all fun and perfect. The fact that it's not makes me disappointed and upset. Only Marina knows how emotional I actually am, despite my stony face and the hard walls I put up around me, such that people think I'm cold and indifferent.

Marina pats my arm gently. "The past is in the past. There's so many activities you can join! You're so talented and sporty, I'm sure you can get into anything. This incident will definitely blow over in a few days, which I'm sure most don't even remember! College will certainly be exciting and fun, don't let the bad beginning affect you. And I'll tell Joseph to keep Stanley away from you." I snort in spite of myself. After the whole incident, Joseph asked for Marina's number, and now the two text all the time. It's a bit silly, but I feel a bit sad that now Marina has someone else and may become distant from me, though I know that will never happen. Hopefully it's just a small romance.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks anyway, I'm lucky to have a best friend like you." I lie back, satisfied.

Marina smiles. "That's the spirit! Now let's go to sleep. There's class tomorrow and we need our energy."

Nine POV

"You're joking, right?" I ask, praying that he's wrong. I'm going through my subject combinations with my coach, and now he says I have to take one 'contrasting subject', a humanities course for my first semester.

"That's what it says. Didn't you read the form?" Coach leans back, unruffled.

"No...but that's not fair! I'm taking engineering! What does humanities have to do with it?" I really don't like humans. Geography- talk about Lorien landforms and the weather, history- talk about Lorien's history and see what difficulties they've gone through to develop this planet, literature- talk about fake people and their fake feelings. Yawn. I struggled through it in high school, and now I'm still forced to take it? WHY.

"Fine. So what course should I take." I grunt and scan through the list of courses. All look equally boring.

"How about this one?" Coach points to one and I snort. Human literature. What the hell is that?

"I heard it's pretty easy to score." Coach winks at me.

I grin. "Then I'll take it."

XXX

I carry my satchel and look at the door numbers for this human literature course. It's my first lesson and I'm already late, since I ignored John's human alarm and overslept. Finally, I find the door and open it.

The lecture hall is large with round sides (like a fishbowl) and with odd jagged mirrors all around. I wonder if all the lecture halls are like that. There's an owl-like old professor droning on and on. Funny thing is, the students seem to be paying attention.

"Mr Worthington?" The professor looks at me sharply. "You're late."

"Sorry, sir. Er, overslept." I flash a sheepish grin as I hear the girls at the front row giggle. I smile charmingly at them, making them giggle even more.

"Come sit here, Stanley!" A pretty brunette pulls her bag off the seat beside her. As much as I would like to flirt, I do not want to sit in the front. I just smile at her and walk to the back.

Just as I thought, there aren't many guys here. The ones there are are either the very nerdy wise looking people that keep to themselves but write remarkable essays, or the artsy kind who view rebelling and spray painting as 'liberating' and 'a way to express yourself'. Most of my football mates (whom I've met and befriended already) had a vague interest in certain arts subjects and signed up for them already, so I'm left alone. I try to look confident and not lost and awkward as I look for an empty seat.

At the very back, I finally spot a seat. Moving towards it eagerly, I stop short when I see the girl I'm about to sit with: Maren Elizabeth, aka Angry Badass Chick.

Right now, she's glaring at me like she wants to pound me on the head so badly. That scares me, but there's really no other seat, thanks to my half-hour extra beauty sleep, so I'm stuck with the fuming troll.

"Can I sit here?" I smile my most pleasant smile.

"No, Fucking Bastard." She snaps. I blink and plop beside her anyway. "Just so you know, I do have a name." I raise my eyebrows and remind her.

"I know, just that Fucking Bastard suits you more." She snaps. I blink. Woah. Didn't see that coming.

"Nice to see such a bright ray of sunshine." I mutter. She scowls and turns her attention back to the professor, avoiding me.

We sit in silence for awhile as the professor drones on and on about the creativity and uniqueness of human literature. Maren looks intrigued and is already taking notes (of the introduction!) while I'm just plain bored and restless. How can anyone voluntarily attend this class?

"what the hell is he talking about?" I mutter.

"Macbeth? Haven't you read this semester's schedule?" Maren doesn't take her eyes off the projector.

i haven't even bought the book yet. I lean over to see the nerdy-looking book Maren has in front of her. Maren moves away. Grinning, I lean my head onto her shoulder. "Get lost!" Maren hisses and pushes me away. Taken aback, I fall off the seat with a plop! sound, and a few students look over. Embarrassed, Maren looks away as I pick myself up, amused.

"So..Macbeth is the one who jumped off the building?" I asked, remembering something like that. I actually thought I'll impress her until Maren scowled. "No, that was his wife!"

i burst out laughing and the professor looks back. Any problems, the two of you?"

"no sir." Maren's ears turn red. I just continue laughing. Who knew ill have such an amusing deskmate. Mardee takes a few deep breaths and turns away from me again. So cute.

Wait, what?

cancel that thought. I decide to annoy her again. I yawn aloud and mutter. "I missed my beauty sleep for this." Maren ignores me, and I decide to disturb her a bit. I lean towards her and whisper. "The professor looks a cross between a frog and a pig, doesn't he?"

Maren flings down her pencil and glares at me. "Maybe you're alright with screwing with this class, but I'm not, okay? Now just shut up and let me listen to the lesson."

"Why are you always angry? I thought a hot guy like me will cool you down." I tease. Maren slaps her hand hard on the table.

"Can you shut your cocky mouth? After what you did to me yesterday I thought you would at least let me be for awhile." Maren says angrily?

"What?"I'm genuinely bewildered, then remember. "Is it about the car?"

"And how you humiliated me at the basketball court!" She hisses.

"I did?" I stare.

"You don't remember?" Her eyes turn a flash of red. Uh-oh. She balls up her fists and turns to me angrily.

"You ruined the basketball tryouts! I was doing so well, then you had to use me to show off! You showed me up then kissed me and-" at this, Maren blushed furiously.

"Ohh." I draw the word out. "You're embarrassed by a kiss, babe?"

"Don't call me that!" Maren hisses angrily.

"Fine. Angry Badass Chick." I grin, totally embracing her I want to strangle and kill you look. "For starts, I did not embarrass you. I was showing you how to play basketball as well as me. You're not bad, but you need practise and help like I was trying to give you. So actually, you owe me, because I was helping you. And the kiss?" I press on, ignoring Maren's incredulous look. "Why, the kiss was to soften you up, babe."

"You- you're incorrigible!" Is all Maren can manage. I burst out laughing, causing students around to stare at us. "That's the best insult you can manage? You're so cute."

"ARGH! CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Maren screams and the professor turns and frowns. "Anything wrong?"

"Nothing, sir. Your teachings are fascinating. Do continue." I call back. Looking into Maren's eyes, I mutter. "You know you're attracted to me, babe, even if you don't want to be." I then pretend to pay attention to the class, sniggering at Maren's shell- shocked, speechless look.

Six POV

This is going to last forever.

**Haha Nine winding Six up. Sorry this sucks, but it all happens slowly like a story, okay? Please review, it really cheers me up!(:**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Six POV

The rest of the week passed on like a blur. I attended classes, made friends and just enjoyed myself. My seniors are right, college is awesome. The best thing is not having to deal with my parents, who, by the way, I have not heard from since I left them screaming at me.

I'm eating lunch with Marina and the girls next door, cheerleaders Sarah and Emily (who are surprisingly nice people that actually like me- I guess not all cheerleaders are horrid) when Marina's phone pings. She picks it up, smiles a secretive smile and texts back.

"It's Joseph." She says, happiness evident in her voice. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. The two have been inseparable since we met, though Marina keeps insisting they are 'just friends'. Even so, I'm keeping a close eye on them. I've already started a mini investigation on Joseph, but unfortunately, he seems to be clean. Hopefully they will remain 'just friends' until Marina is over this phase.

"He asks if we want to have dinner with him and some of his friends!"

"Me too?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Of course! Since when has Joseph ever left you out? He's so sweet!" Marina gushes.

I imagine the two of them giggling and talking, while I'm just there as a third wheel picking on my food sulkily. I make a face. "Nah, I'm cool. You go ahead."

"I've seen the guys on the football team, and they're hot. Maybe you can hook up with them?" Sarah smiles.

"Look at Maren. Do you think she'll slobber over guys?" I throw my fork at Emily and she dodges, laughing.

"Not a chance." I say firmly. "I know people like you can date any guy you want," I look at Emily and Sarah, "but I'm an independent lady, yeah? And I want to work on my hockey skills. Now that I've made the team, I want to be the best."

"Please?" Marina throws herself dramatically over me. "It won't be the same without you!"

You seem to be living well without me, I think, but of course don't say so. "I don't really-"

"If you do I promise I won't throw my Pom-Poms at you when you offend my boyfriend." Emily promises.

"And I'll time you for your running even if you're interrupting my facial treatments" Sarah adds.

I sigh. Cheerleaders are so annoying. "Fine." I mutter. Marina throws her arms around me while Sarah and Emily prances around the table, telling me what I should wear. I groan and bury my face.

XXX

"Remind me again where we're going?" I grumble as Marina practically drags me out of the room.

"I told you already, Doug's pizzeria!" Marina sings as if it's the most expensive delicacy in the world, when I could easily order pizza in anytime.

"And remind me again why you're making me wear this?" I pull at a light blue swishy skirt.

"So you look feminine enough for the guys not to be scared of you. Who knows, one of them may ask you out!" Marina replies.

"Great, now you're some kind of love expert?" I say sarcastically. Marina has only kissed (not dated) a guy once in sixth grade, and then he dumped her when she came late and couldn't complete his homework. I pummeled that guy until he screamed like a girl and had blood streaming out from his mouth. After that no asshole disturbed us again.

"I told you, Joseph and I are not dating. We're just friends." Marina says defensively.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as we reach the pizzeria. "And also, we're going to sit at the 'popular table', where some of their girlfriends are also there, so I didn't want you to look out of place." Marina looks sheepish.

"What?" I stop in my tracks. "I never would have come if I had known there would be b**chy bimbos here!" I am absolutely not a people person. Guys are bad enough, but girly girls? I have to stop myself from punching their big fat red lips and rolling my eyes at their dimwitted ness. I turn to leave. "Sorry Marina, but no. I'm not going to be the awkward laughingstock of this place and ruin my night. I'm going home."

"No you can't!" Marina clutches my arm. "Please? I need you." She looks up at me, pleading silently. I know that despite her making friends, Marina is still scared and nervous due to her natural introverted and shy character, and she needs me here. I sigh. "Fine." I take a deep breath and step into the pizzeria.

The pizzeria is a light, cheerful place. It's definitely not cheap and quick like a fast food joint, but it's an affordable, casual restaurant. Marina lights up when she spots Joseph and runs towards him. I spot the tall blonde hair guy, who I found out was called John Smith (seriously? Why such a random name?) and other members of the football team.

"Wow Marina, you look-" Eight can't take his eyes off her and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Marina has certainly dolled up for Eight, wearing a flow-y Hawaiian style dress and wearing a bit of makeup although we're in a freaking pizzeria.

"Do I look bad?" Marina looks shy.

"No, no, you look amazing!" Eight steps forward to hug her, but sees my glare and turns his hug into an awkward pat. "Yeah, well, meet my friends." We turn to see a small group of people sitting at a long table.

"Guys, meet Marina and Maren. Marina and Maren, this is Riley, Tom, Connor and John. The girls are Riley and Tom's girlfriends, Toni and Jade." I smile stiffly as I slide into the booth. The guys wave and bite into slices of pizza. They seem pretty okay but rowdy, except John who keeps staring at me then looking away (strange..) Toni is a snobby looking girl with waist length blond hair, a pinched expression and long thin legs. Jade seems more friendly and bubbly, with wavy chestnut locks and blonde highlights, shorter and thin but not skinny, with a few freckles on her nose. Although still tense, I feel slightly more at ease.

"Hi." Jade smiles at me. I try to look friendly. "..Hi?" Jade looks unperturbed. "I love how you wore your hair!"

Is she kidding? I just combed and dried it after stepping out of the shower. But seeing her sincere expression, its supposed to be a compliment. I nod slowly. "Thanks..."

"You're the one that acted like a b**ch and screeched at Stanley like three times right?" Toni cuts in. She's looking at me like I'm some bug she wants to flick off. I feel my jaw clench. Who's the b**ch now? "Excuse me?" I ask, my voice low and dangerous. Marina clutches my arm, sensing that I want to lunge across the table and pin Toni to the ground.

"Yeah, you. Stanley is the hottest and most popular guy, and you were just begging for his attention, then flipping him off when you got it." Toni picked at her salad (yeah, salad at a pizzeria) with her manicured nails, smiling snidely.

I open my mouth to answer, but just then I hear a familiar voice. I look up in shock as I see Stanley slide into the booth opposite me with a honey blonde. Toni instantly lights up and kisses him on the cheek. "Hey, Stanley! How ya doing?" She changes her attitude this quickly, and obviously doesn't care that her boyfriend is just there.

I hiss at Marina, "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I think he's Joseph's friend. I really had no idea. I'm so sorry." Marina whispers.

"I'm freaking leaving." I mutter.

"No you're not, sweetheart." Stanley grins at me. He taps his ear. "I have advanced super hearing. Along with my super speed, of course." Showoff.

"I thought I'm your sweetheart." The honey blonde pouted.

"That you are." Nine leans in to kiss her on the lips and I feel a sense of annoyance for some reason. _You see couples sucking each other's lips all the time, what's the difference with this one? _

I see something electric pass between them as the hairs on the honey blonde seem to stand up. "I can hear what the Chimera outside are saying! Does that sound crazy?" The blonde looks surprised.

"Of course not. I just transferred my legacies temporarily to you. I can do that too, you know." Nine winks as the girl twitters. "I can also defy gravity, like literally. Let's go for a walk on the walls, shall we?" He and the blonde stand up and walks off. I roll my eyes, though I am secretly impressed. I thought my legacies were powerful already, but his seems pretty cool too.

"I'm sorry about Stanley." A soft voice breaks my reverie. "He's quite the show off and is super cocky. But he has a good heart, despite his outward appearance." It's John, smiling kindly at me. He seems to sense my discomfort, now that the rest, even Marina, have hit it off and are having a long conversation.

"I'll believe the first part." I reply. "The second part, I'm not so sure."

"You'll know soon." John nods. Before I can ask him what he means, he takes out a folded bill and passes it to me. "For the car."

I stare at it in astonishment. "No, I can't take it! You didn't wreck it, Stanley did!"

"Just take it. I insist." John holds the bill under my eyes and shakes it. Still I shake my head. "Stanley pays for it. He isn't even sorry."

"Will taking you out pay for it?"

"What?!" I stare at John, stunned. Is he asking me out on a date?

"Just as friends, you know." He stutters. Talk about straightforward. A guy having a crush on me. That's a first.

"I'll take the money." I grab it quickly, making a mental note to somehow give it back. Go out on a date?! Ew. No offense John, but no. Guys are just off limits for me. I'm going to be a freaking nun and I'm proud of it.

John looks disappointed. "Oh, okay." I feel a bit bad but just then, something warm hit my shoulder,then something wet on my head. A kiss?Looking up, I see Nine grinning at me from the ceiling, beautiful blonde in tow. "Hey, gorgeous." He says.

"What the- stop that!" How dare he kiss me again! Viciously, I pull his long black hair. Not expecting it, Nine falls with an oomph, just beside our table. The blonde who still remains above gasps, but Nine gets up shakily and grins. "Second time you caused me to fall, ABC. Do you like the feel of me so much?"

"No, just like to see how weak you are that a girl can push you around." I reply. Instantly, Nine darkens. He helps the blonde down from the ceiling, then looks at me, head tilted to the side. "So you think you're as good as me, huh?"

I look at him straight in the eye. "No, I think I'm better." John whoops and shouts "Go for it Maren!" Nine glares at him and John grins sheepishly. "Sorry bro, but I'll like to see this." The other guys are cheering, but Jade, Marina and the blonde look worried and Toni simply raises her eyebrows. "Good luck girl." Is all she says.

If I was not a girl, I swear Nine would have punched me. No, actually since this is Nine, I have no doubt that he _would_ do that. Instead, Nine stands up, looks at me, then suddenly becomes a blur. What the- I get socked in the jaw so hard I bleed a bit.

"Advanced super speed." Nine says proudly. I reach out to hit him back, but he races up the ceiling. "And by the way, I fight really well, so don't bother duelling."

"Just what I want." I say, gritting my teeth. I feel John clutch my wrist. "Don't tempt him. He's good, but he's impulsive and violent and hurting a girl could get him suspended." John whispers.

Do I care? No. But maybe next time. I sigh and nod. "Come down, fucking bustard." I call. Nine grins and jump off the ceiling.

Still wanting to prove a point, I place my hands on the table. The whole table and me turns invisible. The girls scream and all the guys swear aloud, apart from Marina, who says in a tired voice. "Stop it, Maren." Guess her date isn't going too well.

"Whoa, that's you?" Riley says in astonishment. I nod, then realise no one can see me. Still holding my hands on the table, I do a mini cartwheel over the table, then use my feet to hit Nine square in the jaw. "Yep." I grin as I turn visible and slam Nine's face forward.

"Ho shit! You alright, Stanley?" Connor asks, while Joseph just bursts into laughter. "Fine, fine." Nine rubs his head and grunts. He looks at me with, to my surprise, newfound respect. "So you can turn invisible, huh? Only one percent of Garde can do that."

"And this." I point outside, and the roar of thunder sounds. "She can control the weather." Marina confirms while the rest gape dumbly.

"Since both of you seem to reach a truce," both me and Nine turn to scowl at John, who raises his arms in surrender. "Kind of, okay? I just wanted to offer to heal you two. Honestly, pushing and punching each other in a pizzeria? Do it somewhere else next time, okay?"

"Bout time," Nine grunts and scoots over to John's side. "You can do that too? So can I." Marina says as she places her hands on my swollen jaw. I feel that familiar icy feeling and shiver in spite of myself. The wound closes and heals. I see the same happen to Nine.

They finish healing us and we continue eating our meal in silence. Awkwardly, the guys carry on a mundane conversation and I tune out.

"Hey you." I groan. Not again. He just seems this keen on disturbing me."Stanley, shut up."

"Why don't you come right over and make me? With your big fat lips." Nine winks.

"Stanley? You have a girl." John wisely reminds him but he doesn't care, he just seems out to get me. "You know, you're pretty different from a normal girl. Like more psychotic and weird. You sure you aren't asexual or something?"

"What did you just call me?" I barely whisper.

"I mean, you seem to hate both guys and girls except for Marina, and you just sit there like you're some parasite." Nine grins.

"Yeah, and you're so frigging **** with a small d**k." I say sarcastically (AN don't be offended by this sorry. Only Nine should be insulted)

"Excuse me? I f**k chicks real well, doll." Nine winks.

I gag on my pizza. "TMI. I really don't want to know."

"You don't?" Nine pretends to look hurt. "I would like to see how you look under that long convent skirt."

Is this how he freaking flirts with girls?! "Stop treating girls like some sex toy." I say angrily. "You're really a typical dirty male objectifying and exploiting women."

"What are you, some f**king feminist?" Nine still dares to joke.

"I just don't want people to be taken advantage of by bullies like you." I turn to his blonde girl. "Promise me you'll break up with him tonight."

"Maren, I'm not a pervert. I will never intentionally hurt a girl, so don't make out like I'm some serial rapist." Nine says, serious all of a sudden.

"Oh, so now you're mister kind and gentle?" I mock. I'm seriously on the roll now. "How about the times when you date someone just for making out, and you dump them afterwards and treat them like shit?"

"I don't-"

"Or you just think you're king of the world or something, and just think everyone is simply beneath you? You know, that's why people only admire and follow you because they're scared of you, not because they like you or anything. I can tell that you're just some pathetic lonely guy that probably got dumped some time ago and now just want to treat everyone the same way as someone had treated you." I was just rambling and ranting, but it seemed like I hit bull's eye, because Nine suddenly has a dangerous glint in his eye.

He hisses."You act like you're so cool and don't give a shit about anything and even DARE to cross examine and hurl insults at me like that, but actually you're some lonely pathetic little shit! You just ignore everyone and act like some oh-poor-little-me and expect people to freaking stay away and be scared of you! No one likes you because you're such a loner. You're going to be all alone in this world, and guess what? No one will fucking care about you because you're literally worth nothing! And-"

"Can you two stop it?" Marina shouts in exasperation. Nine and I glare at each other, both not wanting to back down. By then, both of us are standing opposite each other, glaring and arms akimbo. Everyone on the table looks a bit scared, the blonde looks like she's going to cry. I let out a huge breath that I was holding in. How did he say my greatest fear that I hold close to my heart, that I'm afraid of being alone?

I back down but mutter, "He started it."

"Stop getting your panties in a twist, baby doll." Nine drawls.

"THAT'S IT!" I shout and slap him. Hard. The slap ricochets around the now silent room, all customers and staff looking at us in alarm.

"Mar, I'm sorry. This is too much." Without waiting for her reply, I turn and march out of the room. I don't look back.

**Drama ya? Hope the dialogue was both humourous and intimidating! How did you like John having a crush on Six and Six being overprotective of Marina? What do you think Six and Nine are trying to hide?**

**Also, I notice that I do have quite a number of views and followers for this story, but very few reviews (at least compared to my previous stories) Is there something I should improve on? Please give feedback, even if its negative. Also reason why the story seems slow at first is because its a romance and not action-packed, so they have to hate each other first before something happens to make them closer. Even so, I do have many ideas for this story, so I'll still post regardless of whether any of you are reading. But still, a few words of encouragement is good:) thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

I grumble slightly as we reach the Engineering Faculty's cafeteria. We have to meet here for the school tour, so we'll be able to find our way everywhere instead of just our classes and dorm rooms. "We could explore this place ourselves. Why must we attend stupid tours?"

"The tour isn't stupid, its educational and useful!" Marina argues. "It tells us the history of the school and let us know what rules there are." I stare at Marina, about to ask her if she's okay, then I realise she's always like that. Oh well.

I spot John and Stanley in the crowd and start to move away, but John spots me. "Maren, hey!"

"Hi." I avoid Nine's eyes and gently drag John away. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I guess." John smiles.

A preppy senior comes over, waving and smiling. "Hi, I'm Kenzie and I'm your tour guide for today! Let's have fun and go on an adventure!" Okay...

Mutely, we follow the tour guide as she chatters on. "This university was built in 1475,the first one ever built as Pittacus wanted youths to have an education. As of today, 1475 has had 6 faculties, 125 courses, 1000 teachers and 40000488 students! This includes our famous scientist..." She walks so fast we have a hard time keeping up with her. Only Marina and Sam are asking questions. I'm feeling very bored.

"Do you want to abandon this tour? Its really boring." I ask John.

John blinks in surprise. "I thought it was pretty cool. Did you know Maximus Pontimore was a prankster here?"

I stare. "Maxim who?"

"Maximus Pointimore. He was the one who liberated Cepans trapped in Zyborg, then led our planet to independence-" I sigh. Why am i friends with All the nerds. Why.

The guide leads us to different compounds, which are all pretty cool, if the guide doesn't insist on stopping at every nook and cranny to talk about something for 10 minutes straight. I feel my eyes drooping and drooping, while Marina and Sam are now talking excitedly and John is chatting and laughing to Sarah, and for some reason I feel some kind of pang in my heart to see them like that-

"Lady? Honey, I'm talking to you!" I hear a loud voice behind. I turn back to see Nine behind me and I scowl. I completely forgot that he was part of this dorky tour.

Kenzie beams. "Any question is perfect and I'll be happy to-"

"Whatever." Nine cuts her off rudely. "You know that statue there? Why is she nude?" What? I hear the students around me laughing softly and even I hold my hand over mouth.

"Uh, because..." Kenzie stutters. For the first time she's at a loss.

"And what exactly do you guys do in the sauna? From what I saw yesterday there was skinny dipping. Is there some history or tradition there that we don't know?" Nine looks mock innocent, but I know he's just here to mess things up. And surprisingly, I find it highly entertaining.

"Uh...I..." Kenzie looks like she's going to cry. John rushes to her rescue. "I'm sure that's a question we DON'T NEED to know. So continue your school tour, please. It's really interesting." He assures as he glares at Nine. Nine opens his mouth but Sarah puts an arm around John and says, "Stanley will behave, promise."

Nine wriggles his eyebrows at her. "Oh, wouldn't I."

Still flustered, Kenzie continues her tour. Sighing, I follow, when I feel a hard pull at my arm. I go flying face first into a wall, right smack into-

"Hey, babe! Didn't know you were so keen on kissing me." Nine grins at me as thankfully, he dodges and I avoid kissing his face and collide into the wall instead.

"You-you-" I can only glare at him. "I'm going back to the tour."

"No you aren't." Nine grips my arm strongly but gently. "I know you're bored too. Let's cut it."

I open my mouth to protest, but realise he's right. I am bored and I do want to leave. Reluctantly, I let him lead me away. "What do want from me?"

Nine looks at me in surprise. "Why do you think that?"

"Because- you've been nothing but horrible to me since we got here?"

Nine grins sheepishly. "Hey, that was in the name of fun." Before I can retort, he quickly squeezes my hand and I feel an electric shock reverberate through my body.

"Hold on tight." Nine says as he breaks into a run. I open my mouth and scream when I realise my legs are in a blur too. He's transferred to me his legacy of advanced superspeed combined with antigravity legacy together, we run in a blur past everyone. We collide into teachers, knock over worksheets, hear many yells and fists punching, but Nine just laughs maniacally and I join in. I have to admit, just running and not caring shit about anything is pretty fun.

We reach a lake and I falter. "Um, Stanley, this isn't a good place to-" I'm cut off by my own scream as Nine runs across the water with me in tow, so fast he's practically walking on water.

"This is so cool!" I shriek. Nine just laughs and smiles as we race across the lake and my vision's a blur.

Too soon, Nine halts. "I'm tired. Let's rest here." Reluctantly, I look around..to find myself on the rooftop. I manage to swallow my scream and glare at Nine. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"What? No!" Nine lies down and folds his arms behind his back, looking a little too relaxed. "Calm down,you wont fall. Anyway, this is my new favourite hideout. No one comes, and it's owned by a deaf old man. Look around. Don't you feel more safe here?"

Sighing, I look around. The sky is a pure azure. From above, I see students below, they look so small and far away. All around me is sky, though I see a few historical buildings, like the monument of our Elders, the community building,even the Parliament House. Nine's right, you feel like you have the whole world in your hands, and that no one can get you.

I close my eyes and curl into a ball, feeling relaxed all of a sudden. I feel an arm around me and tense. "Chill, just keeping you warm okay?" Nine sounds genuinely sincere, so I let him.

We sit down, gazing ahead at the forests, buildings and people. I can't believe I'm up here, with Nine of all people. No one can climb, or even think to climb up here. Its the perfect place to rest.

"You think you can make the roof invisible?" Nine asks randomly.

"Hmm." I grin thoughtfully. "Let me try." I touch the roof, and it vanishes. However, the house itself is still visible, and we see the old man just below us in the bathtub. I shriek a bit as Nine laughs.

The old man looks up, probably stunned that there's now light flowing in. "Quick, make us invisible." Nine urges. Giggling, I do and we fight back our laughter as we see the old man looking astonished and panicked. Who wouldn't, though, when your roof mysteriously vanishes?

I let go of the roof and it materializes. Below, we can hear the old man shouting "Who did that?" Nine cracks up. "He's calling the cops." Nine explains using advanced hearing. "The cops think he's mad and they hung up."

"Oh my gosh." I gasp between chokes of laughter. "How cruel are we?"

"Very." Nine replies, then quick as lightning, he jumps to a nearby tree and tosses me fruits. "Think fast!"

Taken aback, I only catch a handful, while the rest fall off the roof...onto the old man who's stomping out of the house. We watch in horror as the fruits drop one by one onto his bald head. We hear squelching sounds as the juice trickles over his face. Oops.

The old man swings back and I quickly turn invisible while Nine hides behind the tree. "Who's that? Own up, I can see you." He shakes his fist at the roof, far from where I'm sitting and waves his cane threateningly.

Feeling a bit guilty, I open my mouth to own up when a fruit flies past me, obviously navigated well through telekinesis. It bends and swerves until it hits the old man straight in the face, though not with a hard impact. I put my hand over my mouth to stop my laughter. What is Nine doing?

"HEY!" The old man thunders. He does look scary, but I just can't take him seriously with juice dripping all over his head and rotten fruits around him. He steps forward, as if to investigate, when a Chimera comes out of the tree and scatters away.

The old man's face softens. He mumbles, "These Chimera" a bit gruffly as he heads back to the house. "Gotta take another shower."

As soon as he gets in, Nine jumps back on the roof and I turn visible. "How could you." I shake my finger at him. "Bullying an old man like that."

"The Chimera did it, not me." Nine winks. I punch him playfully and he punches me back. Roughly.

"Ow!" I glare and push him, while Nine just chuckles. "You're quite a hothead, aren't you?"

I laugh. "No actually. I have a bad temper but I'm pretty calm and logical. It's only when you do something that I keep losing it."

Nine smirks. "Really? I should just keep irking you." He looks over at me. "You know, why were you so angry when I said those stuff about you at last week's dinner?"

I shiver in spite of myself. What he said was so uncanny..

"Mum! Stop it!" One shrieks, and ducks as a plate goes flying over her head.

"One darling. Be a good girl and hmm, be good-" Mummy laughs lazily. In her hand is a pipe with smoke coming out.

"Daddy." I whimper, but of course it's no use. Daddy's lying slouched on the sofa, a needle sticking out of his arm. He breathes deeply. "Feel much better." He smiles and looks over at me, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Pretty Maren. You're so fine." He sniggers. He stands, swaying over me, bends down and touches my thigh. I scream..

"Maren!" I snap back to reality. Nine waves his hands in front of me, looking worried. "What happened? You okay?"

I take a deep breath. "Yeah. Actually not really." I look at Nine pleadingly. "I'll talk about it next time, okay? I had a pretty bad childhood and my parents..." I can't go on.

Nine nods. "Its okay." I look at him in surprise and he spreads his hands. "What? I'm a decent person."

I snort. "Whatever. I'm guessing you don't want to tell me about your problems too? Is it about your parents?"

"They died. In a car accident when I was four." Nine says flatly. I open my mouth and hesitate. "I'm not supposed to say I'm sorry, right?"

Nine smiles a little. "Yeah, well it's okay. It was a long time ago anyway. My uncle Sandor's a great guardian, more like a brother and my best friend." Nine lies on the roof, acting nonchalant. I don't push him further.

"I'll like to meet him someday. He sounds like a great person." I say.

"He's amazing. He practically saved my life." Nine continues quickly. "Anyway, your words didn't affect this part. There was something that happened in high school..but maybe next time."

"Sure." I lie beside him, looking at the sky and clouds. "You know, somehow I don't mind telling you things. Usually I don't tell anyone anything except for Marina. After you making my life hell last week, I never thought I'll be here talking to you."

"Hey." Nine props his head up under his hand to look at me. I can't help but notice how tight his abs are, and how-

Ew. Stop.

"I never meant to bully you. It was just teasing, and I'm a dick like that. I solemnly swear not to disturb you in class again. Truce?" I laugh at Nine's mock solemn attitude, and I pat his arm. "Yeah." Somehow, all my previous anger i built up against him evaporates.

Nine says thoughtfully. "The same goes for you too. I thought that you were such a nuisance also, but somehow, you keep crossing my path, and there's something different about you. The way how you guessed what I felt inside last week, it really made me wonder.." I wait, but he doesn't continue. Inside, my heart is beating wildly. What is he thinking now?

"That's a raven." Nine suddenly points to the sky, abruptly changing the subject. I'm okay with that. Neither of us do the touchy-feely thing.

I look up and see a raven-shaped cloud. "And that's a boat." I point at another.

Nine snorts. "No, it's an iguana." "Iguana?" I stare at him. "How, may I ask, is this an iguana?"

"Anyone can tell it is. See, the nose and jagged stuff like scales, and how it's shaped. No way is it a ship."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too- stop!"

Nine tickles me and I splutter, part laughing and part annoyed. "Please stop." I beg him as he grins. "Never took you to be the ticklish kind."

To stop him, I bite his arm and he nearly falls off the roof. "Holy shit! Who even does that anymore?" He holds up his arm, now swollen with my teethmark. Oops.

I smile mischievously. "In pre school I did."

"Oh, for Pete's-" Nine shakes his head in mock disgust while I laugh.

For the rest of the time, we name clouds, argue a bit and play silly games like that. Time passes really quickly and soon it gets dark.

Nine sits up. "We better get going. Mother hen will get worried." I grin, wondering if he's talking about "Johnny" or Marina. Both of them are pretty similar in terms of character. "Yeah, we better-"

"Maren." The way Nine says my name takes my breath away. He clutches my hand, and only now do I realise how rough his dark hands are, so large it practically envelopes my small and slim hands.

He gazes into my eyes and I gaze back, noting that his eyes are a roguish almond, mischievous yet kind looking at the same time. I don't look away.

"Ring!" The loud alarm make us jump back in alarm.

"Oh-" I begin.

"Yeah." Nine looks away, standing up. "I guess it's time for us to go." He holds his hands out and after some hesitation, I hold it. He leads me silently down the roof. I feel a bit foolish for following him and thinking that there's something different between us.

Yet, before we reach the ground, Nine turns back. "Maren?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone about this place. It's between you and me."

**They're falling in love! 0.o like our first glimpse of Nix? Please review:)**

They're falling in love! Like the nix? Please review!:)


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